How to Convert HEIC to JPG on Windows, Mac and Android

The fastest way to convert HEIC to JPG is to open the photo in a built-in app and export it: Preview on a Mac, the Photos app on Windows, or a free browser tool on any device. For a folder of photos, use a batch converter so you do not repeat the steps for every file. The sections below cover each platform, then explain how to keep quality and file size under control.

Why iPhones use HEIC

HEIC is the file extension for images stored in the HEIF container, which Apple adopted in iOS 11. It compresses photos with the HEVC codec, so a typical 12-megapixel shot takes about 1.5 MB instead of the 3 MB a JPG would need. The catch is compatibility. Many Windows programs, older Android phones, web forms and printing services still expect JPG, and some reject HEIC outright.

You have two choices: stop the phone from producing HEIC in the first place, or convert files when you need them. To shoot JPG from now on, open Settings, tap Camera, then Formats, and choose Most Compatible. Existing photos are not affected, so you will still need a converter for older shots.

Convert on Windows

Windows 10 and 11 can open HEIC in the Photos app once the free HEIF Image Extensions package is installed from the Microsoft Store. Some PCs also need the HEVC Video Extensions package, which Microsoft charges a small fee for unless your device maker bundled it. Once the file opens:

1. Right-click the HEIC file and choose Open with, then Photos.
2. Click the three-dot menu and choose Save as.
3. Pick JPG from the file type list and save.

If the Store packages are not an option on a locked-down work PC, skip the install and use the HEIC to JPG Converter in your browser instead. It accepts HEIC and HEIF, outputs JPG, PNG or WebP, and downloads a batch as a single ZIP.

Convert on a Mac

macOS has supported HEIC since High Sierra, so no extra software is needed. Preview is the simplest route:

1. Open the HEIC file in Preview.
2. Choose File, then Export.
3. Set Format to JPEG, drag the Quality slider, and click Save.

For many files at once, select them all in Finder, right-click, and choose Quick Actions, then Convert Image. Pick JPEG and an image size, and macOS writes the converted copies next to the originals. The Photos app can also export JPGs: select the photos, choose File, Export, Export Photos, and set the kind to JPEG.

HEIC photos carry location data, the capture time and the camera model in their metadata. Most converters copy this across to the JPG. If you are sharing the photo publicly, check whether the converter has an option to strip metadata, or remove it afterwards.

Convert on Android

Android 10 and later can display HEIC in Google Photos and most gallery apps, but there is still no system-wide convert button. The practical options are:

• Share the photo from Google Photos. Many apps receive a JPG copy automatically when the destination does not support HEIC.
• Open a browser-based converter on the phone. GameParticles runs on mobile Chrome and Firefox, and nothing is uploaded, so it works on a slow connection.
• Ask the sender to change the iPhone setting described above, if the files come from someone else.

Keep file size and dimensions in check

A JPG is usually larger than the HEIC it came from, and a full-resolution iPhone photo is 4032 x 3024 pixels. Email attachments, forum uploads and website images rarely need that much. Two quick fixes help.

First, lower the JPG quality. A setting of 85 cuts the file roughly in half compared to 100 with no visible change. If the converter you used had no quality control, drop the result into the Image Compressor, which shows a before and after preview so you can find the lowest quality that still looks right.

Second, shrink the dimensions. A photo for a blog post or a chat message looks identical at 1600 x 1200, and the file is a quarter of the size. The Image Resizer lets you type exact pixel dimensions with the aspect ratio locked, and export straight to JPEG or WebP.

Choose the right output format

JPG is the safe default for photos because everything opens it. Two alternatives are worth knowing:

• PNG is lossless, so nothing is discarded, but photo files become very large. Use it only for screenshots or images with text.
• WebP is smaller than JPG at the same quality and is supported by every modern browser. It is a good choice for images going onto a website.

The GameParticles converter outputs all three, and the other tools in the images category can crop, filter, split or compress the result afterwards.

Try it

Open the HEIC to JPG Converter, drop one photo or a whole batch, set the quality with the live preview, and download the JPGs. The conversion runs entirely in your browser with WebAssembly, so the photos never leave your device.